Means for fashioning bands for taking impressions of teeth



sept- 29, 1970 R. s. GOLDSTINE 3,530,585

MEANS FOR FASHIONING BANDS FOR TAKING IMPRESSIONS OF TEETH Filed July 9, 1969 INVENTOR. Roberi S flowsfine 7& M

ATTORNEY United States Patent O 3,530,585 MEANS FOR FASHIONING BANDS FOR TAKING IMPRESSIONS F TEETH Robert S. Goldstine, 527 A-2 Regis Court, Andalusia, Pa. 19020 Filed July 9, 1969, Ser. No. 840,160 Int. Cl. A61c 9/00 US. Cl. 32-17 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE By the use of this invention, bands used for taking impressions of teeth in dentistry are quickly contoured to fit subgingivally around the teeth. The band is received in a contoured pattern of shape selected to approximate that of the gum line around the entire periphery of the tooth. This contour is then scribed or cut into the band.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field This invention deals broadly with the fashioning of bands which are used as part of the procedure for taking impressions of an individual tooth, and more particularly with the fashioning of the ends of these bands into certain contours which are necessary in order to properly use the bands.

Prior art In dentistry, it has long been the practice to take impressions of the external surfaces of individual teeth in order to repair portions of them, or to manufacture synthetic crowns in order to restore them. A diseased, decayed, or imperfect tooth is prepared for this type of repair by grinding away portions and sculpturing the remainder into configurations which are proper to support a restoration such as a crown.

In order to insure the exact fit of the synthetic restored portion of the tooth, and to insure that certain features of a sculpturing will help to anchor the crown, it is necessary to take a very accurate impression of the tooth. It is common to surround the individual tooth with a cylindrical band made of a soft material such as copper, and then to force down within the confines of the band a material which will form itself around the tooth, constructing an exact impression thereof. Most times, the finishing line of the restoration is beneath the gum, and therefore it is necessary to include in the impression a portion of the tooth which is subgingival, and the band must be contoured in such a manner as to extend a predetermined distance, such as one millimeter, beneath the gum line around the entire periphery of the tooth.

The bands offered commercially to the dentist are simple open-ended cylinders, available in a number of sizes, but having no end contours. To supply them already fashioned into the many end contours necessary would force the dentist to have a large inventory, and would obviously be very uneconomical. The dentist therefore must fashion each band to match the recipients gum contours by removing portions of the band with a shears or file. This is a painstaking trial and error process, and results in the destruction of many bands, as well as discomfort to the recipient because of the many fittings and the amount of time necessary to do the job.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention advanced herein provides for establishing a first, preliminary end contour quickly by use of predetermined patterns. The dentist then completes the small amount of additional fashioning necessary by the usual method of fitting and trimming.

3,530,585 Patented Sept. 29, 1970 THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a view of a tooth and adjacent gum, showing subgingival contour.

FIG. 2 shows a completed band contoured to match the subgingival contour illustrated in FIG. 1, rotated ninety degrees.

FIG. 3 shows a band before contouring, with the contour scribed upon it.

FIG. 4 shows a simple embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a side elevation of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of a plurality of the embodiments shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.

DESCRIPTION FIG. 1 shows a tooth 11 surrounded by gum 12. It is necessary that the band used for taking an impression of this tooth fit subgingivally, conforming to a contour 13. A band 14 so contoured is shown in FIG. 2, with resulting contoured edge 15. Band 14 is rotated ninety degrees for clarity. FIG. 3 shows band 14 before trimming, with the desired contour 17 scribed upon it. This invention provides a means for quickly, easily and accurately scribing the desired contour 17 upon band 14.

"In a basic embodiment of the invention, as shown in FIG. 4, a contoured circularly disposed pattern '18 is sup-ported by a base 20. Pattern 18 has a contour established by research and analysis as being representative of the necessary subgingival contour 13. Obviously, no single contour is representative of every human mouth, or every tooth in the mouth, so it immediately becomes apparent that it is advantageous to develop a series of patterns, and such is contemplated by this invention.

The band 14 is placed in the center of contoured pattern 18, such that the curvature of the pattern can be imposed upon the surface of the band. Such imposition can be by marker or scribe, and is made by tracing the contour of the pattern with the instrument. In the case of the marker or scribe, the band is then removed and the tracing line followed by a scissors or like instrument to trim the band edge into the desired shape. It is also possible to out the band immediately by tracing the pattern with a sharp instrument. Any band 14 of diameter equal to or less than the diameter of pattern 18 can be received by this device.

The embodiment of the invention described above is made more useful if a series of concentric grooves 23 is cut in the center of the pattern in floor 21. These grooves 23 receive and hold properly in juxtaposition to pattern 18 bands 14 of various diameters. Thus, by the addition of the grooves 23, a single pattern can be used for several different sizes of bands, making the invention much more versatile. The diameters of the grooves 23 can be selected to match the diameters of the various standard bands used in dentistry. With proper marking, these grooves can also be used to ascertain the size of bands, in place of the sizing posts presently used.

This embodiment can receive bands of diameters different than the grooves provided, or bands which have been deliberately altered in cross-section and made out-ofround, by simply placing them on the surface of floor 21. In such a case, the band would be properly oriented with respect to contoured pattern 18, and then held manually for scribing.

FIG. 5 illustrates another embodiment of the invention in which the contoured pattern is more complex. Base 25 supports a contoured circularly disposed pattern 26. Unlike pattern 18 in FIG. 4, which is a narrow width disposed circumferentially about the band receiving area, pattern 26 extends inwardly across and including the band receiving portion, as illustrated in cross-section in FIG. 6. Circular band receiving grooves 26 are formed into the pattern. This embodiment offers the advantage of having the contoured pattern, which is traced by scribe 29, immediately adjacent to the surface of band 14, no matter which groove 27 receives band 14, thus contributing to ease and accuracy of use.

As discussed above with relation to FIG. 4, circular grooves 27 are of the same diameters as the various bands used in the profession. Again, if proper marking is provided, the grooves 27 can be used to ascertain the size of the bands, as is usually done with a sizing post or tool.

In actual practice, the dentist will require a number of contoured patterns to provide for all situations. To accomplish this, an embodiment such as that shown in FIG. 7 is anticipated. A number of contoured patterns, such as above individually described with regard to FIGS. 4 and 5, are mounted on a common base 26. Each contoured pattern differs from the others. The most useful patterns will be the larger ones provided with many re ceiving grooves, but patterns of smaller diameter will also be necessary.

The curvatures of the patterns used in the instant invention must be determined by analysis. Such investigation and determination forms no part of the invention set forth herein, except that by concept these curves are representative of those found necessary when preparing bands for use in the human mouth.

OPERATION In using the instant invention, the dentist selects the proper size band in the normal manner. He then examines the contour of the gum line around the tooth and turns to an embodiment of the instant invention to find a pattern which approximates this contour.

The band is then placed in position in the proper groove in the selected pattern, and the pattern traced to scribe or cut the contour into the band. The dentist then removes the band and cuts away the lower portions, using the scribe mark as a guide.

The band is then again fitted over the tooth, and any necessary adjustments are made by trimming the contoured cut made in the band.

The concept of the invention set forth herein can be manifested in many different embodiments other than the ones shown herein. Many modifications will be obvious to one skilled in the art and, therefore, it is apparent that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

What is claimed is:

1. Means for contouring bands used in taking impressions of teeth comprising a contoured pattern radially disposed about a center,

and

means for receiving and positioning said bands about said center in juxtaposition to said pattern, whereby said contour can be imposed upon said band by a scribe or like instrument.

2. The invention recited in claim 1 wherein said means for receiving and positioning said bands comprises a cavity centrally disposed within said pattern, and

a floor in said cavity.

3. The invention recited in claim 1 wherein said means for receiving and positioning said bands comprises a receiving groove.

4. The invention recited in claim 1 wherein said means for receiving and positioning said bands comprises a series of concentric receiving grooves radially disposed about said center.

5. The invention recited in claim 2 further comprising a receiving groove in said floor.

6. The invention recited in claim 2 further comprising a series of concentric receiving grooves in said floor radially disposed about said center.

7. The invention recited in claim 1 wherein said means for receiving and positioning said bands comprises a receiving groove in said pattern.

8. The invention recited in claim 1 wherein said means for receiving and positioning said bands comprises a series of concentric receiving grooves in said pattern radially disposed about said center.

9. The invention recited in claim 1 wherein said contoured pattern is continuous outward from said center, and wherein said means for receiving and positioning said bands comprises a series of concentric receiving grooves in said pattern radially disposed about said center.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS ROBERT PESHOCK, Primary Examiner 

